Improvement in apparatus for inhaling gases



ATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM Z. L CHAPMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR INHALING GASES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 14,075, dated September6, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Z. W. CHAP- MAN, of the city, county, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful apparatus foradministering gas, vapors, or medicines to patients for medical andsurgical purposes; and I do hereby declare and ascertain my saidinvention, which I call the An- :estheticRespirator,7 referring' in saiddescription to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective View; Fig. 2, a section; Fig. 3, a crosssection through theindicator.

The object of myimprovements is to obviate the difficulties andobjections heretofore encountered in administering nitrous oxide orother gases or vapors, &c.

The mode heretofore in general use for this purpose is to ll an ordinaryindia-rubber bag with the gas, the bag being furnished with abreathing-faucet, consisting of a common stopcock with a flattened endto enter the mouth ot' thepatient. When used,the lips ofthe patient arerequired to be held tightly by an assistant, around the breathing-pipe,to prevent the introduction of atmospheric. air, and the loss of gas asthe patient becomes insensible. It also requires that the nose be heldby the operator for the same reason. In this condition the patient isheld until the desired effect is produced by breathing from and into thebag or reservoir. At each exhalation of the lungs it will be noticed thecarbonic acid thrown off enters the bag, and the patient is forced tobreathe it over again, with the gas thereby diluted, inhaling` apoisonous compound, very hurtful and injurious. By this method, too,saliva or blood is often profusely discharged from the mouth into thebag, which renders this manner of administering the gas most disgustingand objectionable. An improvemeirt has heretofore been attempted on thelneathing-faucet by adding thereto a metalplate to cover the lips, andthus prevent the introduction ot'air or escape of gas; but this is foundinefficient, for when the muscles of the lips relax in the process oftaking the gas and become flaccid the shield has no control over them,and is useless therefor. My improved apparatus is intended to obviateall these objections, as well as some others found in practice.

The description in detail is as follows, of

one form of construction, it being understood that changes andmodifications can be made without changing the character of theinvention-such, for instance, as the substitution of' any known form ofvalve that will properly open and close the passage, instead of the onehere described. Some of the parts may be omitted without destroying theefficiency of' the rest, as the saliva-valve or even the pipe itself 5but I prefer all the parts together. To convey the gas from thereservoir, (which is placed at any desirable distance from the patient,)I employ a fiexible pipe, (lettered a.) This pipe communicates directlyand freely with the gas-holder at one end. At the other a short rigidtube, c', is affixed, having a fourway stop-cock, c, therein, and ahandle attached thereto, by which it is held in thehand ofthe operator.The stop-cock is kept closed by a spring or other proper device, and isopened by the thumb acting on a thumb-piece, b, which is in a convenientposition theref'or, near the handle. Instead ot' a spring to close thestop-cock, it may be closed by the thumb on the lever. The spring is,however, preferable, as it guards against loss of gas at all times. Thetube c is connected with the mouth-piece by a flexible joint, d, orotherwise, and for convenience in construction, cleaning, an d repair itshould be removable. The 1nouth piece is made of a tube, c, which formsapart of the gas passage. The end that enters the mouth may beflattened. On this is fitted a tongue -piece, e, having its under sideextended, so as to lay over the tongue, and curved upward, with itsorifice on the upper side, which guards against its being` stopped bythe tongue. This tonguepieee should be removable for cleaning. Next thetongue piece on tube c is a plate, f, affixed somewhat oblong', and socurved as to approximate to the form of the space between the lips andthe gums, which space it occupies when the appartus is used. Thissupports the lips which are over it, however flaceid they become, and asthey fall against it they involuntarily exclude the outer air. Inaddition to this plate j', I employ, when necessary, a shield, g, toprevent blowing out the gas around plate f when exhaling the breath.This shield g is formed like the plate f, and is made to slide from andtoward it on tube e. It can be set up with a screw, or otherwise, topress gently upon the lips and hold them between it and plate j'. Abovetube 6,1 tit a nose-piece, h, which in the drawings consists of a cupsurm unted by a hood to inclose the nose. A short pipe, IL', may unitethe nose-piece withl the pipe e, an d the nose-piece may connect withthe saliva-pipe,) and the gas or breath can freely pass through it. Thepipe h extends up into the cup to guard against the discharge ot' mucusfrom the nose into the breathingpipe c. Other modications ot' the nosepiece may be madesuch as a bifurcated pipe to enter the nostrils or restagainst them; or a rigid cap can be made with a tiexible edge to tit thenose tight, and the nose-piece, or a part thereof, can be hinged so asto turn back.

' 'Ihese are obvious changes that need no iarticular description.

In addition to the parts just described for inhaling gas, &c., I add anexhaling-pipe, i, whifh connects with and opens into the tube c, whenthe valves have sluit off the gas therel'rom, (see section Fig. 2,) bywhich a direct communication is opened with pipe from the mouth. Aflexibe tube leads from pipe@l to a reservoir that may contain causticpotash (but this is no part ot' my invention) to purify it. ln additionto the above-named pipes and teXible tubes I atiix a third pipe, k, thatcommunicates with the breathing-tube on the under side, between thestop-cock or valve c and the mouth. This is t'or the purpose ofconveying away any saliva, mucus, or blood that may be discharged tromthe mouth i-nto a proper receiver. rIhis pipe may or may not have avalve to close it in addition to the valves or stop-cock before named.When employed as atl in the drawings, it should be so connected with cas to move with it, so that when the stop-cock@ opens the passage a,communicating with the gas-holder, the passa ge to the saliva-pipe lcand eXhaling-pipe i will be closed, and vice versa. Vhen the patientdraws in the breath, the passage to tube a must be open. When the breathis exhaled, it must be closed and the passage to pipes i 7c opened. Itwould be easy to make the opening and closing ot' these valves at theproper time depend upon the breathing ot' the patient; but this mightrequire too great exertion, particularly with sick a-nd feeble persons.I therefore prefer using such valves as are readily moved bythe hand ofoperator, one example ol. which I have described with modificationsindicated.

The operation is as follows: When the p 1- tient is ready to inhale, theoperator opens with his thumb the passage to the gas holder. As soon asthe patient stops inhaling, the operator closes this passage and opensthe others. The patient then eXhales. Thisoperation is continued untilthe desired et'tect is produced with as little effort to the patient asbreathing the natural way. To indicate the inhaling or exhaling of thepatient to the operator, I place an indicator on the tube c at u. Thisindicator consists of a little wing or throttle-valve suspended by itsupper edge to an axis within the tube, as clearly seen in Fig. 3, theaxis projecting beyond the pipe outside, to which a light hand isattached, so as to indicate the direction of the current within. Theindicator may be made in several other ways-such as a diaphragm,water-eolumn, or the like, it simply being necessary to have anindicator of any known description at that point to direct the actionot' the operator.

Having thus fully described my improvements, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The employment ot' the plate j', aliixed to the tube e, placed withinthe lips, as and for the purposes described.

2. In combination with the above, the shield g, for the purposes hereinset forth.

3. In combination with the breathing-tube c, the tongue-piece c',substantially as described.

4. In combination with the breathing apparatus, the nose-cover, all asherein specified.

5. The arrangement and operation of the Valves, in combination with thebreathing.- tubes7 substantially as and for the purposes herein setforth.

6. The indicator, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. The separate pipe for saliva, &c., all as herein specified.

WM. Z. WV. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses ROBERT H. Gonnn'i'r, HENRY E. KLUGH.

